By Editor,Martha Williams

Copyright dailymail

Beloved 135-year-old chain permanently closes all 65 stores after blistering bankruptcy: ‘End of an era’

READ MORE: US city lands unwanted title of most likely to crash worldwide

By MARTHA WILLIAMS, US NEWS REPORTER

Published: 18:41 BST, 30 September 2025 | Updated: 19:44 BST, 30 September 2025

The great American drugstore shakeout has claimed another victim — as yet another regional favorite vanishes from the high street.

After 135 years in business, one of Washington’s most iconic pharmacy chains has shut its doors for good, closing its final three locations last weekend after weeks of inventory blowouts.

The collapse follows a wave of struggles across the sector, with giants such as Rite Aid filing for bankruptcy and Walgreens and CVS also shuttering hundreds of stores as customer habits shift and financial pressures mount.

The latest casualty is Bartell Drugs, a Seattle-based chain once beloved for its local identity and community focus. Founded in 1890, it was acquired by Rite Aid in 2020, when it had 67 stores.

But years of turmoil at both companies saw locations gradually rebranded or shuttered before the final closures in Kirkland, Mill Creek and Gig Harbor.

Molly Lavinter, 48, described the closings as the ‘end of an era’, to the Seattle Times.

As Lavinter stood outside the Bartell in Gig Harbor – its windows plastered with yellow banners – she said, ‘I grew up with Bartell’s… This is like watching my childhood go away.’

Bartell Drugs was well-known in the Puget Sound region for its local focus, customer service, and community involvement. It had a strong local identity and often carried products from local vendors and supported local events.

Bartell Drugs, a regional pharmacy based in Seattle, shut down its final stores last weekend

Inside Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s divorce documents

7.5k viewing now

What you must do to protect yourself from a financial crash

62.4k viewing now

Elizabeth Hurley on how she maintains her incredible bikini body at 60

4.9k viewing now

The store’s headquarters was in Seattle, WA, where it was established in 1890 by George H Bartell Sr.

Bartell Drugs was considered the oldest family-owned drugstore chain in the US.

The chain’s financial woes came slowly and then all at once.

In July – two months after Rite Aid filed its second bankruptcy – CVS said it would take 20 of the remaining 34 Bartell stores.

CVS spent the summer rebranding the chosen locations.

The 14 stores left over saw their pharmacies shuttered and prescriptions sent to nearby CVS locations.

Signs outside started coming down and liquidation teams arrived to sell the remaining inventory.

The iconic candy, wine, and gifts that once lined the drug store’s shelves had disappeared as bargain hunters moved down the aisles in search of final deals.

Bartell Drugs was considered the oldest family-owned drugstore chain in the US (the shop is pictured in 1937)

The iconic Washington chain closed its last locations after 135 years of operation (Bartell Drugs is pictured in 1965)

Rite Aid bankruptcy poses MAJOR threat to beloved ice cream chain

‘We tried to stay local and quirky,’ recalled John Lewis, 56, Bartell’s former regional manager and food and beverage buyer, who stopped by the Mill Creek store Friday to visit a former co-worker.

For Bartell’s employees and shoppers, the closures were hardly surprising. After Rite Aid acquired the chain years ago, it became clear that things were going downhill.

Rite Aid hoped the acquisition would help its own financial struggles – and the larger drug store brand promised to maintain Bartell’s unique business model.

However, the pandemic turned Rite Aid’s problems into a full-blown disaster and both brands got to a point of no return.

Rite Aid quickly became one of the nation’s most popular pharmaceutical chains after opening its first store in Pennsylvania in 1962.

At its peak in 2008, the chain was operating over 5,000 locations, making it the third-largest pharmacy in the US.

The chain had been struggling for quite some time before it was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2023.

By that time, the chain was operating 2,100 stores, and planning to close hundreds after receiving $3.45billion in new financing to create a restructuring plan.

George H Bartell Sr established the company in 1890

Bartell Drugs had a strong local identity and often carried products from local vendors and supported local events

Several pharmacy chains have announced massive lists of store closures across the US (Pictured: signage at a Rite Aid store in Michigan)

The plan was initially successful after slashing $2billion in debt and securing $2.5billion in exit financing.

However, its restructuring efforts slowly crumbled, and by April of this year, Rite Aid was plotting its second bankruptcy.

Rite Aid has not been the only major pharmacy to struggle. Even CVS has been forced to shut locations across the country.

Earlier this year, the drug store, which had over 9,000 locations across the US, confirmed that 270 stores would shutter this year.

The closures, which the company initially announced in October last year, have been underway in several states, with Alabama, New York, Maryland, and Missouri seeing the largest number of closures.

Share or comment on this article:
Beloved 135-year-old chain permanently closes all 65 stores after blistering bankruptcy: ‘End of an era’

Add comment